A Benefex success story… Kim Harris

Emma Budd

06/05/2015

Categories: Culture

Back in 2009 a very nervous Kim Harris applied for an administration job at Benefex, not knowing what to expect. Little did she know that one day she would become Operations Director, heading up 2 teams and over 50 employees.

Things didn’t get off to the best start, Kim was asked to wait in the (then tiny) staff room for an hour before she was interviewed and when she returned to her car, she found a parking ticket. But it was all worth it in the end as she was offered the job, her first office role having previously worked for retailer All Saints. Kim was absolutely over the moon to get the job and quickly showed she was not only fantastic at answering employee queries and providing administration support, but that she also had great people skills and was quickly promoted to Team Leader.

Over her time at Benefex Kim has seen the company grow significantly, with client and staff numbers both rapidly expanding. She spent a year and a half in the team leader role, employing 4 people in the first instance, then expanding to 8 and eventually creating a fantastic team of 10.

She then had to face the interview process again (this time without the hour wait and parking ticket) and was promoted to the role of Head of Administration Services and Client Support.

During that time Benefex relocated from the office Kim was interviewed in, to a snazzy new one. And over the years Kim has been consistently growing and making improvements to her team, which are now called the Employee Support Centre. This includes implementing a two-tiered approach whereby a case management team act as an escalation point for any employee queries that cannot be solved during the first point of contact, making staff members more efficient.

Through her recent promotion to Operations Director Kim has taken on more responsibility and even another team, Data Services. It’s also provided her with a chance to reflect on her journey, through which she credits strong company values, common sense and Matt Macri-Waller (CEO & Founder) and Giles Elliott (Managing Director), saying “each of them inspire me on a daily basis”.

Kim is certainly someone to look up to, and despite being incredibly hard working, she isn’t afraid to inject some fun into her work. She regularly organises themed days for her teams and encourages them to dress up and bring in party food for specific client enrolments or celebrations.

Remembering a time when the executive team used to jump on the phones and answer calls at busy periods, Kim does the same now, saying “no one’s too good to chip in.” She also stands by a motto of “if you wouldn’t do something yourself, don’t ask your team to”.

Kim’s journey is a fantastic demonstration of the company culture at Benefex, which encourages success and promotes from within. And she’s not the only one who has transitioned across the business. “The culture we have at Benefex and the fact that everyone helps out is what makes it amazing” she says.